Anthony Joshua says he has been put in a ‘no-win situation’ after accepting a fight with Jake Paul. sky sports‘Johnny Nelson.
The former two-time unified world champion will face YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul in an eight-round sanctioned heavyweight bout at the Kaseya Center in Miami in the early hours of Saturday, December 20, UK time.
“I think there are 50 million reasons why Anthony Joshua is taking this fight,” Nelson said. Sky Sports News.
“There was never a thought in my head that this fight would happen. Why? Because of Anthony Joshua’s desire to go down in the history books and become a three-time world champion.
“To me, it shows his desire. This is now a business.
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Johnny Nelson believes Anthony Joshua’s chances of fighting Tyson Fury will be slim after agreeing a deal with Jake Paul.
“The weight (limit) is 245 pounds (for Joshua). So I think the last time Anthony Joshua weighed that much was when he fought Usyk. That means he has to fight properly because he was at 254 pounds for his last fight against Daniel Dubois.
“This is not a light wink. This is a fight. It’s not a push and pull. Remember what happened with McGregor and Mayweather. If this is an actual legal fight, Jake Paul is very brave and it will be interesting to watch.”
‘AJ will take this much, but money talks’
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has insisted that this will be a real fight and that both fighters will wear 10-ounce gloves, the standard weight for professional heavyweight bouts.
“I believe it will happen because AJ is involved,” Nelson said. “AJ will put in a lot of effort to make this happen, but money talks.
“AJ is in a no-win situation. If he gets in there, what does it say about AJ that Jake Paul can stick it out?
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Nakisa Bidarian, CEO of Most Valuable Promotions, which represents Jake Paul, believes his fighter’s ‘delusional confidence’ could work in his favor if he beats Anthony Joshua on December 19.
“If he goes in there and knocks him out, then I’ll say that’s to be expected. There won’t be much glory other than the Jake Paul haters saying, ‘I got rid of this kid.’
“Now Jake Paul has got our attention. Now you have to back up your boast. You can play football, golf and tennis. You can’t box.
“Most people are going to watch this video to see Jake Paul keep his mouth shut. They want a good version of Anthony Joshua to show up. If that version of Anthony shows up, it will be a comfortable, condescending night for boxing snobs.
“If another version of Anthony Joshua comes along and struggles with Jake Paul, Anthony Joshua has to think to himself, ‘Wow, I’ve turned into a businessman,’ because that’s what he is: a bounty hunter and a prize fighter.”
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Jake Paul has expressed confidence that a fight with former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua can happen.
‘Maybe AJ thinks he’s had the best of times’
Joshua has not been in the ring since his shock knockout loss to Dubois in their IBF world heavyweight title fight last September, with Nelson questioning whether the two-time world champion can rediscover his best form.
“The days when Anthony Joshua becomes world champion are getting slimmer and slimmer,” Nelson said.
“Other than Jake Paul, the biggest fight is probably Tyson Fury. He’s making more money and making more headlines than any world champion, but he’s not even boxing for a world title.
“Both Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua have taken advantage of the current state of boxing.
“Anthony Joshua got knocked out against Daniel Dubois. You would think right away he would be like, ‘Let me get back in that fight. I’m better.’ But he didn’t say that.
“So he’s probably thinking, ‘I’ve probably seen my best day. I can’t say it publicly, but I’ve probably seen my best day, so I’ll just do my best with the time I have left.’
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Jonny Nelson believes Anthony Joshua is ‘half in, half out’ as he questions the heavyweight’s motivation to continue his boxing career.
“If you were the heavyweight champion, you were the best in the world. But now, if you go in there with Jake Paul, yes, he knows he’s going to get in trouble. Yes, he knows he’s probably going to upset one or two of his traditional fans and say, ‘Why are you doing this?’
“But the reality is he goes in there with someone who can make him £50 million, plus he finds someone who can knock him out, and then he moves on.
“No one who is honest with themselves would turn that down. No one would turn down that opportunity. Take him out there and start a business.”
‘I expect Paul to faint’
Paul, who holds a 12-1 record, picked up a career-high points win over former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr in his last fight, but Nelson believes he will suffer a crushing loss.
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Derek Chisora has predicted a fight between Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul.
“I expect the same thing that happened with AJ against Ngannou,” Nelson said. “If the referee doesn’t make the save, I expect Paul to go down.
“Jake Paul is a very brave and ambitious young man with great business skills on his shoulders, and now he has our attention.
“I think about everything he’s done in our game. I praise him and respect him. To Jake Paul, well done, the job is done. To Anthony Joshua, get the job done and show the class difference.”
